FoZ: The dark descendant
by Hat'n'cloak
Summary: Saito Hiraga suffers a great loss in his home city of Tokyo, and when he is summoned to Tristain, he is not the same as he would have been. An entire worlds history and destiny is changed. Darker SaitoXundefined. Rated M for various reasons.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Welcome folks, to the beginning of my very first fan-fiction, about an anime I recently discovered. This is but a small taste of the story, as I plan to make it quite a long one, and with longer chapters of course. It will have a similar storyline, but with an "OOC" Saito, and some twists and additions. Your inspirations and constructive criticisms will be most welcome! Enjoy!

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><p><strong><span>The familiar of Zero:<span>**

**The dark descendant**

_by Hat'n'cloak_

**Prologue**

Blood filled the sky. The sun was bleeding, as its dying light disappeared behind the horizon. Horror and despair kept him running through the darkening streets, and yet he had nowhere to go. His heart felt numb with pain, while his mind was filled with chaos. People all around watched impassively as he ran, completely unaware of his wake nightmare. The artificial lights of Tokyo stared at the teenager like thousands of dead eyes, unlike anything they seemed to him before.

Yes, this evening is like living hell, if your name is Saito Hiraga.

_Why?...Why is this happening?_

And so he ran for hours, for an eternity, it seemed to him.

_Dead...how...HOW CAN THEY ALL BE DEAD?_!

His throat had long given up on screaming, and he had no more tears to cry.

_Too weak...cant go on...not anymore...when I'm...all...alone..._

Finally, even his legs gave out, as he slowed down and fell. He welcomed the pain of the impact, as this seemed to be the end, at last. His end.

_No...it cant be...have to...move...fight..._

That was when he saw it. The light of hope itself had manifested right in front of him! It was warm and inviting, promising salvation, far away from this world. He didn't understand why, hut he had to reach the light at all costs! With his last strength he crawled towards it, until he finally made contact...

And then all was gone.

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><p>Thanks for reading! Feel free to review!<p>

First chapter is in progress!


	2. Awakening

**A/N: **So here it is, the first real Chapter of the story! Thanks for the reviews on the prolouge. I'm having dificulty getting these starting chapters to an adequate length, as there isn't much going on yet, and I plan to reveal more background info throughout the following storyline. I'm not sure how quickly the other updates will come, but they will keep coming. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>The familiar of Zero:<strong>

**The dark descendant**

_by Hat'n'cloak_

**Chapter 1**

**Awakening**

It was a sunny afternoon in the kingdom of Tristain, one of those days, when the weather itself suggests there is nothing but peacefulness to come. At the academy of magical arts, the students had gathered in the front yard to perform the sacred familiar summoning ritual. The second years were almost done, and everyone was excited and happy. Well...almost everyone. Louise Françoise was one of the few that yet had to perform the 'summon servant' spell, and she was not looking forward to it. Yesterday evening she had boasted to her classmates about how beautiful, strong and divine her familiar would be, but in truth she hardly had any confidence in herself. Everyone just called her Louise de Zero, the reason being that all of her attempts at magic had a success rate of zero. Almost every try ends with a tremendous explosion. The only thing that kept her afloat at school was her status as daughter of a prestigious, and rich noble family. Then again, if every student that didn't manage through magic skill alone were to be expelled, half of the academy's inhabitants would be gone. Louise watched the others summon all kinds of creatures; Giant moles, floating eyeballs, a flaming salamander, a dragon...

_WHAT? Tabitha managed to summon a dragon? How can I compete against that?_

"Next up is Louise Françoise! I believe that would be everyone for today." Professor Colbert called.

Nervously she walked to the spot everyone had used to summon their familiar, but when Kirche made fun of her, the nervousness turned into determination.

Determination to prove everyone wrong!

"My servant, that exists somewhere in this universe!

My divine, beautiful and powerful familiar!

I wish and assert from the bottom of my heart,

Answer my guidance!"

And the moment she put her wand forth, **BOOM,** another explosion rocked the campus. When everyone regained their footing, and the dust and smoke had cleared, the first students were about to make fun of Louise again. This time however, the explosion was just a side effect. The summoning had actually worked! But...what is _that_?

"...A peasant boy? Is _that_ supposed to be divine, beautiful and strong?" Louise ranted.

It was a teenage boy, about the age of 17 by the looks. He was of average build, had messy black short hair, and was wearing strange clothing(Imagine Saito's original outfit, but with black and brown instead of blue and white)

Saito slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the bright sunlight. He was lying on his stomach, his limbs sprawled out in all directions. He smelled grass, and heard people murmuring all around him, but he felt too tired to move. He didn't remember how he got here, or what happened in the days before he did. He only knew that something very painful had happened in his home, and that a bright light brought him here.

_Am I...dead?_

Someone grabbed his shoulder, and turned him around. It was a girl with long pink hair, and matching eyes. She argued with someone in a strange foreign language he didn't understand.

_...English? No...French?_

"Please Mr. Colbert, having a lowly peasant boy as a familiar is unheard of!" Louise ranted once more.

"Well, it won't be from now on. I can't let you repeat the ritual. Now finish the contract."

The pink haired turned her attention back to Saito, pointed her wand at him and started chanting again

"My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de la Vallière. Pentagon that rules the five powers, bless this individual, and make him my familiar!"

Saito had no Idea what was going on, but he didn't like the way her face was drawing closer to his!

"_Hey! What do you think your doin_-mph"

She kissed him full on his lips! What? Why? Saito pushed her off violently, and jumped to his feet, his eyes and voice boiling with anger!

"_Get away from me! What's the meaning of this, kissing me out of the blue like som-_aaARGH!"

He reared his head back as a horrible burning sensation filled his entire body, steam erupted from his pores, and his left hand felt like it was being skinned, burned, torn off and regrown at the same time! For a brief moment it seemed like a dark red glow was emanting from him, and his scream turned into the roar of a demon! But it was almost as quickly over as it began, and he collapsed, unconscious once more.

Everyone stared. Some amused, some bewildered, some curious. Professor Colbert seemed worried, and Louise was just Flabbergasted.

"Just...what kind of familiar did I summon? Why did it panic like that?"

Jean Colbert knelt down to inspect the familiar runes on Saito's left hand. The familiar runes on the back of his hand looked strangely familiar(Ha-ha), so he took out his notepad and wrote them down, to study them later. When he turned the boys hand around, he was very surprised to see a _second set of runes_ had appeared in the palm of his hand! They were arranged in a circle, and had a septegram(seven-tip) star in the background. But the most unsettling thing about it was, that these runes were completely unknown to him! With a little difficulty, he scribbled those down as well, and proceeded to send the students to their rooms, as today's lessons were over. With a sigh, Louise began to drag her would-be servant across the lawn towards the dorm entrance.

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><p>Louise lay in bed, frustrated. The human familiar lay on a pile of straw, still unconscious, next to her bed.<p>

*Sigh* "What am I supposed to use you for anyway? Until now you've been a complete failure at being useful!"

"Until now I was getting knocked unconscious." He responded darkly.

"Oh, you're awake! ...Well it's your own fault for making me drag you upstairs by your...wait, you can speak our language?"

"I guess so...can I ask you a few questions?"

"Sure, but you will have to address me as 'Louise' or 'mistress'."

"Fine. So, Louise, first of all: Where am I, and why am I here?"

Louise proceeded to explain everything of relevance about Tristain, the academy, the summoning ritual, and what a familiar is, about nobles and magic, ect. All the while Saito took his time to observe the surroundings, and tried to figure out how to escape this weird place. Maybe it was just a dream? No, It was way too realistic. Did these people kidnap him, to use him in some kind of sick real-life roleplaygame? At some point she got tired of explaining, and asked his name.

"Me? My name is Hiraga Saito."

"Hiragasaito?"

He nearly facepalmed.

"Ah..just call me Saito."

"Anyway, its about time you get started with your chores!"

She turned to her Drawer to sort some things out, and picked up a pile of dirty laundry.

"First of all, wash these clothes, and...Saito?"

When she turned back around he was gone. Vanished!

"He ran away? No way!"

She looked at the door- It was wide open, and still swinging slightly back and forth.

"Gnrrr...HIRAGASAITO!"

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><p>Thanks for reading!<p>

Reviews are as always much appreciated!


	3. Encounters

**A/N:** Whew! I finally managed a 3k chapter! I think I will make all of the chapters about this length from now on. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>The familiar of Zero:<strong>

**The dark descendant**

_by Hat'n'cloak_

**Chapter 2: Encounters**

Saito ran as fast as he could through the candle-lit corridors, while doing his best to block out the pain of several bruises. He knew he didn't have much time, so he had to decide quickly on witch turns he should take. In the corridor ahead of him he could hear voices, so he stopped to peek around the corner. There was a blond boy around his age, flirting with a younger girl with brown hair. He attempted to sneak past them by 'hugging' the wall to his left, as the couple leaned against the opposite wall. Luckily, the wall on his side was much darker than the middle of the corridor and the opposite wall, where the candles were. It's been a while since he had to use his stealth skills, but he managed to get by undetected. This reminded him of the time he had to survive on the street for several months. He had to steal food from various stands and venders to escape starvation. Fortunately, his cousin had found him one day, and let him stay at his apartment.

_Enough reminiscing! I need to escape this weird castle! _Saito told himself.

He took another staircase downwards, and finally reached the exit to the campus. He ran across the lawn for a while, before taking a look at the clear night sky. And he immediately regretted it. There were two moons. TWO. MOONS. One was big and blue, and the other small and pink.

_For heavens sake...you cant be serious...you gotta be kidding me... _He thought to no one in particular.

And that's when he realized there was no escape. What is the point of escaping this academy, when he couldn't escape this reality? After thinking about his situation for a bit, he took a few deep breaths, and decided to head back. Maybe cooperation would be best for now.

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><p>"I don't believe you." Louise said as she stared him down<p>

They were back in her room, and Saito had told her of his world, and explained why he tried to run away. But Louise wouldn't have any of it.

"Fine, be that way if you please. The point is I have nowhere to run to, so would you get this ridiculous dog collar off me?"

Saito demanded, while tugging on the iron chain that bound him to her bed.

"Silence! Who knows what you will try next without your master disciplining you!"

Much to his annoyance, she proceeded to undress right in front of him. Naturally, he looked away. Although his perverted side would have squealed in delight, the anger at not being acknowledged as anything more than an animal was far greater. Also, for quite some time now, he had his mind set on totally suppressing his perverted desires, in pursuit of more sincere feelings. Learning the true value of love by loosing it, has its effect on people. Louise put on her nightgown, and threw her used clothing in the laundry basket. That gave him an Idea.

"How about this then: I won't be able to do laundry for you if you don't let me go."

Louise was about to retort again, when she realized he was right.

"Okay, but you better not try anything stupid, and be quiet about it, or you'll wake the others."

And with that, she took off the collar and pointed him to the laundry basket. He silently picked up the basket, and went to the door. Before he left, he turned back once more.

"Just how long do you plan to play this 'master and servant' game?"

"What a silly question for a familiar to ask! The contract is lifelong, so I will always be your master, and you will always be my servant."

Having said that, she put out the candles, and lay down to sleep. Saito just stood there for a moment, and gazed at her settling form with mixed feelings.

"I see." Was all he said, before he stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

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><p>When he returned, Louise was fast asleep. He put the clothing on her bed, and tried to make himself comfortable on the small pile of straw she had prepared for him. He didn't mind sleeping in ratty places like these, but what he really couldn't take was being treated as a lesser being than others. People who didn't acknowledge his feeling and his free will, he had to endure them too long already, after his...his...<p>

_Mother..._

Even though he felt like crying, no tears would come. It was like something broke in him the day he lost his mother, and ever after crying countless tears, he had been unable to cry at all. As if his eyes were empty...or locked...

He forced his thoughts to stop, and closed his eyes. After a while, his fatigue overcame his unrest, and he drifted off to sleep.

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><p><em>Saito awoke with a start. He sat upright, and the first thing he noticed was, that he sat in an actual bed. And it wasn't just any bed, it was his bed! He was back home! The next thing he noticed, was that instead of the familiar surroundings of his old room, there was nothing but an endless void of darkness all around him. The bed emitted a strange comforting glow, the only thing holding the menacing darkness back. Saito decided to get out of bed. The wooden floor was only visible within a 1m radius of the bed. He took a step to that edge, and hesitated<em>

"_**I wouldn't go any further.**"_

_Startled, Saito looked around for the source of the voice, but he found none. It sounded dark, heavy and menacing, but somehow familiar. Now it felt like the very darkness around him has come alive, and was watching him._

"_Wh- who are you?"_

_The dark voice seemed to ignore his question._

"_**You don't know what may await you out there. You don't know your way.**"_

_There was a pause._

"_**Why don't you just stay in your safe bed?"**_

_He felt tempted to do just that, but something told him he had to resist. There was a strong feeling of malicious intent in the voice, and he wanted to know what was in the darkness. So he took a few careful steps forward._

"_**You don't know your way!" **The voice boomed._

_And Saito was already lost! The bed was nowhere to be seen, and the void seemed angry at his intrusion. No sooner than that, he lost his footing, and fell into infinite depth._

"_WAAAAAHHH"_

_All the air left his lungs, as he lost even himself in the darkness until there was nothing left of him._

"_**And you never will!"**_

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><p>Saito awoke with a start. He sat upright, and the first thing he noticed was, ...that he was back in Louise's room! It was morning, the strange dream was over.<p>

_What the hell was that...?_

He has had strange dreams before, but there was something particularly odd about this dream. And it seemed so...real. He shook his head, and took a moment to clear his mind before he stood up. Louise was still asleep, breathing very quietly. He stretched a bit, and decided to wake Louise. He didn't know the time schedule here, but better too early than too late, he thought. He shook her shoulder gently and called her name.

"Louise...Louise! It's morning!"

"Uuuaaaaahh...who are you?" She mumbled while rubbing her left eye.

"You mean you've already forgotten about me?" he inquired, annoyed.

"Ah, my familiar...Hiragasaito."

"I've told you, just call me Saito."

"Okay okay, Saito, don't make such a fuss!" She yelled.

"Who's making a fuss here? Not me."

"Just be grateful I granted your request, as your master I can address you however I want."

Saito just ignored that, and waited for her to get dressed. When she was ready she went for the door, and motioned for him to follow.

"Where are we going?"

"To breakfast." Was the short answer.

_Great! Im Starving!_

On the way to the dining hall Saito memorized the way, and as many side passages as he could. He saw various random students, some with brown robes, some with black robes like Louise's, and some with purple robes.

"Hey Louise, does the color of the robe mean anything?" He asked out of curiosity.

"They do. First year students wear brown robes, second years like myself wear black robes, and then comes purple."

"Aha"

They remained quiet for the rest of the walk. When they entered the dining hall Saito was amazed. It was one of the biggest rooms he had ever seen, And it was so elegantly decorated as well. There were two enormously long tables stretching across the hall, with presumably enough space to get all of the academy's inhabitants seated. Most of the other nobles were already present, so Louise went to sit down at her place as well. Saito was a little annoyed, that his meal was arranged on the floor, but he assumed it couldn't be helped, as there probably weren't enough places to sit. What was worse though, was that his 'meal' consisted of one stale bun. When It was time to begin, everyone folded their hands together, and the entire dining hall resounded in some kind pf prayer.

"To our great creator Burihelum and the Queen, her highness, I am grateful for your modesty**."**

Then everyone started eating, while Saito struggled to get a bite out of the almost rubber-like bread.

When he was done, he saw that the place next to Louise was still unoccupied, so he decided to go ahead and-

"You cant sit there." Louise said, stopping him.

"Why not? Its unoccupied!"

"Only nobles are allowed to sit at this table! You are but a mere peasant and familiar, so you should be honored to dine in the same hall."

He gave her a cold glare.

"Thats fine. I wouldn't enjoy your company anyway!"

And with that he went for the exit, ignoring her further demands. The other nobles snickered and giggled at her.

"Getting rejected by commoners now are we, miss Zero?"

"Moreover by your own familiar!"

"How embarrassing for you!"

"No, how _befitting _for you!"

Now they were laughing even harder. It was all Louise could do, to maintain an aura of dignity, and prevent her tears from flowing.

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><p>Saito was having a walk around the campus, to get some fresh air and to get to know the soundings. When walked round the Pillar of an archway, he accidentally bumped into a bypassing maid, and they both fell on their backsides with a squealyelp of surprise. They both just sat there in the grass for a moment and blinked at each other. Saito was the first to recover, and he immediately got on his feet.

"_Gomen-nasai_- err, I mean I'm sorry! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I wasn't paying attention, I'm sorry!" She said politely, while dusting off her clothes.

"Don't worry about it, here let me help you." He said, and offered his hand to help her stand up.

The maid seemed surprised at his kindness, but gladly accepted his hand. She had black, shoulder-length hair and kind, bright blue eyes. She wore a classic black maid's dress with an ankle-length skirt, a white apron, and a matching headpiece.

"Umm, could you be the one miss Vallière summoned as her familiar?"

"You mean Louise? Yeah, I am that guy...but how do you know?"

"A commoner being summoned as a familiar, that is a very rare thing to happen, so there is quite some gossip about it."

"I see... say, are you a sorcerer as well?"

"Oh no, I'm just a commoner like you. My name is Siesta, pleased to meet you!" She said, smiling

"Nice to meet you too, Siesta! I am Hiraga Saito, but you can call me Saito."

"Saito? Thats a peculiar name, isn't it?" She asked curiously.

"Well, I kind of come from another country..." He said hesitantly.

"Ah, I thought so...oh, I almost forgot, I have to go back to work now." She said a little reluctantly.

"Siesta, um, could you use any help right now? You seemed quite in a hurry, and I have spare time on my hands anyway, so..."

She smiled again.

"Sure, you can help me serve the deserts. The nobles are waiting for them in the outdoor dining area. This way, please."

And so Siesta and Saito went to the kitchen to get the cakes and ice cream on platters, and carried them to the waiting aristocrats. Occasionally, an extra cup of tea was ordered, and one noble even ordered too much cake for one of them to carry alone. Going around, and serving cake to these stuck-up nobles was defiantly not Saito's favorite pastime, but in Siesta's company, it was bearable. They were almost done, when Saito froze in his tracks, because of something he heard.

_I know that voice..._

He turned to his left, and saw the source of it. It was that one blond noble he had snuck by in the corridor, last evening.

_I think Guiche was his name._

Yes, it was him alright, he sat at a table in company of a blond, curly haired girl. He was defiantly flirting with the girl. But something was wrong with that scene.

_The girl he was wooing in the corridor had a brown cloak, which means she was a first year, and I'm sure she had brown hair as well! The blond girl he is with right now has a black robe, meaning she is a second year!_

"Cheating bastard..." He mumbled through clenched teeth

If there was one thing he hated, it was people who betray those who trust them most, people who would toy with others feelings, and would break a loving heart out of boredom.

"Saito? …Saito! Are you not well?" Siesta asked concerned.

"I'm ok Siesta, don't worry! I just spaced out for a moment."

Saito had to control himself, not to storm over to him, and beat him black and blue. He thought about what he could do for a moment, and had an idea.

_Let's see, pretty much everyone of the students is gathered outside, so if I look around carefully..._

_there she is!_

He had spotted the other girl.

_Katie, if I recall correctly. And she seems to be looking for him, perfect!_

"Siesta, there is something I have to do right now. I will be back in a moment!"

"Saito... ok, you'll find me here."

He went over to Katie, and pointed her towards Guiche. Excitedly, she hurried over to him, and chaos began to ensue. Despite being interrogated by both of them, he seemed to manage quite well, talking his way out. Saito decided to go ahead, and step in as a witness.

"Thank goodness you found him, right? That souffle has to be eaten fresh." Saito said sarcastically.

"Wh-what? How do you know about the souffle, commoner?"

"I saw you last night, being all sensual to Katie about that souffle. It almost seemed like you two were together. But _of course_ that can't be true, as you were flirting quite passionately with your fellow second year just now."

Saito said all of this with with steel in his voice, but nobody noticed the faint, dark red glow, in the palm of his left hand.

"So you _were _putting your hands on her!" stated the blond.

"No, Montmorency, wait, that has to be some kind of mistake!" Guiche said, but it was already too late.

"How awful! Yesterday you said we were together!" yelled Katie.

"But girls please, I can explain-"

"LIAR!"

Both females shouted, and slapped his face hard enough to send him sprawling on the floor. Then, Katie and Montmorency went away to console each other. Guiche sat on the ground, nursing his reddened cheeks, while he was laughed at by everyone present.

"Guiche the bronze got dumped!"

"Busted by a peasant, HaHaha!

"Serves him right!"

Guiche got to his feet, and turned his glaring eyes on Saito.

"It seems you don't know the proper etiquette towards an aristocrat!" he shouted in 'righteous' rage.

"Someone like you, who betrays the feelings of two girls, doesn't deserve even the attention of one, be you 'noble' or not!" Saito countered, unwavering.

"I wont stand for this any longer. I challenge you to a duel! You better come and prove your resolve! I will be waiting in the grounds in front of the vestry!"

Guiche then headed off to said location, most of the crowd following him, to spectate what was about to come.

"Saito!" It was Siesta, she hurried over to him.

"Saito...please, tell me you don't think of accepting his challenge!" She seenmed very worried

"Why do you want me not to? Do you not believe I have the strength to face him?"

"I just don't want you to die!" She shouted, and grabbed hold of his shoulders.

"No commoner has ever managed to defeat a noble by himself! What you did just now was incredible in and on its own, you don't have to endanger yourself like that! ..." her eyes were moist, as she chocked on her next sentence.

"Siesta..."

he took her hands off his shoulders, and held them in his own.

"I cannot back down to him! If I can't stand up for myself, I will loose my life anyway, be it through death or not. I know you mean well, but nothing you say will stop me. Besides, someone has to do it!"

Silence enveloped them for a while, and nether moved.

"Then, ...I will believe in you."

"What?" Saito didn't believe his ears at first.

"I believe that you can do it, Saito. With your courage, believe you can! I will come along and cheer for you...but you have to promise me...promise me that you'll live!"

He grasped her hands tighter, and a look of determination he thought he had lost, formed in his eyes.

"I promise you, Siesta, I will live."

They let go, exchanged smiles, and went on their way. With the strength of newfound friendship, he truly believed he could win.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading! Feel free to review!<strong>


	4. The septegram's curse

**A/N:** Sorry for the longer wait, but inspiration on this chapter was a little harder to acquire. Anyway, this is the first action sequence I've ever typed, so reviews on how I did would be much appreciated. I will not always answer reviews, but you can always be sure of my gratitude when you write one. On a side note, the septegram(seven pointed star symbol) in the story has nothing to to with any religious, historical or occult references it may have in real life. If you do happen to know something about it, please feel free to inform me. Enjoy!**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>The familiar of Zero:<strong>

**The dark descendant**

_by Hat'n'cloak_

**Chapter 3: The septegram's curse**

In the grounds in front of the vestry, a majority of students had gathered in the shape of a ring. Guiche Grammont the Bronze stood in the middle, waiting for his opponent to show up. Guiche would prefer that pesky commoner to just chicken out, so he could publicly humiliate him for not backing up his claims. On the other hand he thought, that if he would show up, he could demonstrate his elegant and proficient use of the magical arts to the crowd. He only had to wait a bit longer until the audience to his right announced Saito's arrival. Saito and Siesta had reached the edge of the ring, where they parted ways. Siesta wished him good luck, and Saito gave her smile and a victory hand-sign, and with that he entered the crowd. At last, Guiche saw his opponent step forth from the crowd to face him.

"Hm, I'll compliment you for actually showing up, against what most of us thought."

Saito said nothing as he shifted about a bit, adjusting his stance to have better foothold.

"Are you ready?" The noble asked, twirling his rose between his fingers.

"Are you done talking?" Saito gave back, and raised his arms in front of him, ready to punch or grapple.

"Indeed I am, let the duel begin!"

As soon as he announced that, he swung his rose in a downward arc throwing a petal to the ground. On the spot where the rose petal landed, a strange bronze construct emerged from the earth in a bright white glow! Saito watched a bit troubled as the bronze construct rose to its full height, which was one head taller than himself. It had a 2m long black metal spear in its left hand

"What in all hell is this?"

"My name is Guiche the Bronze. Therefore the bronze golem,Valkyrie, shall be your opponent."

At the mention of its name, the golem moved towards Saito an alarming speed. Its right arm shot forward to hit him in the face. Saito had some experience in fistfights, from his time on the street, and from bad schooldays, and it paid off now.

He managed to catch the fist of the Valkyrie with his left hand, and winced at the pain in his wrist. Its strength was slightly above that of an average man, and the fist of solid metal made it only worse.

Saito tightened his grasp, and took his opportunity to deliver a strong hit to the golems head. Unfortunately it did more damage to his hand, than to the magical being. It recovered quickly, tearing free from his hold, and hitting the familiar straight in the stomach.

He stumbled back and fell to his knees, grunting in pain.

"Wh-*cough*What's the matter? Are you too much of a coward to step in yourself?" Saito shouted, struggling to get back up.

"I am a sorcerer, a noble! So it's obvious I use magic to fight!" Guiche claimed in his usual high-horse manner.

The teenager came up just in time to block a right hook, getting another bruise, and in return, kicked the Valkyrie straight in the knee. Its leg bent backwards, and it came out of balance. Saito grabbed hold of the Valkyries spear, and tried to yank it away.

"Oh, you want to play with weapons now?" Guiche mocked.

The valkyrie shook Saito off, and tried to stab at his left side. Saito dodged, but didn't avoid the attack completely, and the spear tore a shallow wound into his flank, at stomach level. He cried out in pain, and he was sure he could hear Siesta shouting his name from somewhere. The valkyrie withdrew it's spear, and resorted to using blunt attacks again.

Meanwhile Siesta tried to get closer to her newest friend, but the nobles wouldn't let her through. She couldn't tell if he could hear her cheers over the crowd, but she continued doing so, and believing in him as she promised. And she prayed he would be able to keep his promise as well.

Saito fought hard, but no matter how many hits he landed, or how many attacks he evaded, he was unable to make any progress. Before long his whole body was littered with bruises, and he had a terrible headache. He was almost numb with pain, and he even started to taste blood. He shifted his eyes at Guiche, who watched all of this as if he was just a bystander. Hate filled his being, as he saw the amusement in the 'nobles' eyes.

"I should have known you would resort to something like this! Bastard! You have no honor at all! Nether in love, nor in battle!"

"Is that so? Normally, an annoying pest like you should be squashed immediately! But to show my generosity, I shall grant you a weapon."

He swung his rose, and summoned an elegantly fashioned one-and-a-half handed sword, sticking upright in the ground at Saito's feet. He gazed at the blade, and felt something stirring in his mind. It felt like a long suppressed madness was beginning to surface, at the prospect of holding a potential instrument of death. He reached for the hilt, but was interrupted.

"Guiche! Stop this nonsense at once, you know duels are forbidden!"

It was Louise. She had broken through the ring to yell at the rose-wielder.

"Only duels between nobles are forbidden. He is just a commoner, so there should be no problem." He countered.

"Guiche, please. I cant just let you beat my familiar to a bloody pulp! Isn't there any other way this can be settled?" Louise pleaded

Guiche immediately thought of several... less appropriate ways to 'settle' this, but he kept his calm, and told himself Louise's are too flat anyway.

"Hm. Well commoner, as it is your masters request I shall forgive you, if you just bow down to me and say 'I am sorry'. Or if you still wish to continue this, then take up that sword."

"Just who the hell do you think you are..." Saito grumbled as he reached for the hilt.

Louise rushed to his side, and took his hand away from the sword.

"No, don't do it! Guiche wont hold back any longer if you take the sword!" She was almost begging, an her eyes were watering.

"Do you really care that much about me? Louise... are you crying?"

"I DON'T care! And I'm NOT CRYING!" She yelled and hit him in the stomach, in defense of her pride.

Saito cried out in pain once more, and for a moment he just stood there in a slumped posture, shaking slightly. His face was hidden by his dangling hair. Then she heard a strange sound coming from him. It was... laughter? Yes, what started off as a chuckle, became a roaring laughter, crackling with insanity, and striking fear in all those who heard it.

"**-HahaHahAHa, I thought so..."**

His voice sounded dark, heavy, and menacing all of a sudden. The circle of runes in his left palm, especially the septegram, were glowing strongly in a dark red.

"...Saito? Whats wrong with you?"

He pulled the Sword out of the ground, taking it in both hands, and swung it to his side, while getting into combat stance. All of this happened in one agile motion. Now the familiar runes on the back of said left hand started glowing as well, in a bright blue. All pain was gone, and Saito felt stronger than ever

"**You can't hold me back, _master." _**The last word in his sentence was dripping with sarcasm and hate, and it made her shudder.

And with a terrifying battle-roar of madness, he charged at the still present Valkyrie, and cleaved it into several parts with a quick succession of vicious swings. Everyone watching was astonished, fascinated, and a little fearful at Saito's sudden change in power and behavior. Guiche was a bit taken aback, and made haste to summon six more Bronze Valkyries. Two of them stayed at his sides to guard him, the other four teamed up on Saito. Two of those four attacked him frontal, stabbing their spears at him. He ducked and sliced the two pole weapons overhead, cutting off their cone ends. Half a second after that the other two Valkyrie appeared at the warriors sides, attacking in the same fashion. He stood quickly, and spun around his own axis, deflecting both attacks almost simultaneously. He used his spinning momentum to launch an impressive combo of swings, strikes, slashes and stabs all around him, educing all four offensive Valkyries to scrap metal.

The various spectators, looked on with mixed feelings. Tabitha, a quiet and emotionally reserved girl watched with curiosity and a bit of concern, though you wouldn't notice through her stoic facade. She had her staff and a book with her, that she was reading most of the time. She watched anxiously, while absentmindedly curling her light blue hair around her index finger. It was a habit when she couldn't concentrate on reading.

Next to her was Kirche, a taller girl with long red fiery hair, covering her back and the right side of her face. She had a darker skin tone, and the probably biggest bust size in the academy. As she watched Saito, she as a bit taken aback, but also fascinated with the strength and endurance of the young man. The 'fiery' part of her mind couldn't help but wonder how he would fare in bed.

Siesta was glad Saito was doing so well now, but it frightened her a bit to see him act so fierce and viscous. She folded her hands and hoped for the best.

And Louise was simply Dumbstruck.

Only the two Valkyries guarding Guiche remained, and Saito charged towards them an well. Both of them pointed their spears at his rapidly approaching form. He wouldn't be able to stop in time, and wold impale himself on those spears, but then he did something unexpected. Just before getting in the spears range, he stabbed his sword into the ground in front of him, and used his running momentum to launch himself in the air above the golems. The move was similar to a pole vault. Unlike a pole vault, though, he didn't leave his sword behind when he jumped, and cleaved the two of them in half at the waste. He turned around, and came face to face with one very intimidated Guiche.

"I- I give u-uuargh"

Before the dispirited blond could admit his defeat, Saito grabbed him in a choking hold around the neck with his left hand, and easily lifted his feet off the ground. His irises had turned a deep dark red, and his gaze burnt like fire, but was also cold as ice. This demonic being that had Saito's appearance, was it really him?

"**Fool. Did you think you could end this unscratched?"**

And with that he plunged his blade into the nobles shoulder, pushing it all the way through to the hilt. All Guiche could do was to thrash about helplessly, as he experienced pain he could never have imagined as the pampered noble he was. Everyone around them seemed to be frozen in horror, and thus unable to come to his aid. The dark warrior pulled his sword back out and threw Guiche to the ground. He was knocked out.

"**This fight is over. There is nothing more to see here!"**

Slowly the crowd dispersed, disbelief and shock audible in their murmurs, and etched into their faces. Some were reluctant, others made haste, but in the end everyone left, save for two other people.

Louise approached Saito. His back was facing her, as he still stared at Guiche's motionless body.

"...Saito...?" she began.

Suddenly, the boy turned around and pointed his sword at her neck. Louise froze, petrified.

"Sa- Saito! Wh- why... why are y- you... turning on me?" She choked in fright.

His eyes were red as blood, burning like fire and cold as ice.

"**Why should I not point my sword at you? You never showed me anything but indifference and contempt. Even when I was hurt and weakened, the only thing you did was hurt me more. Doesn't that make you... my enemy?"**

Saito was about to hurt her, but then, Siesta stood in front of Louise. She had tears in her eyes.

"Saito, stop!"

"**Move out of the way, Siesta."**

"I won't." she said, softly but firmly.

"**Aren't you afraid I will hurt you?"**

"...No... because I still believe in you. I told you earlier, don't you remember?"

He grit his teeth, and was trembling slightly. Siesta moved past the bloodstained blade, and put her hands on his.

"Please Saito... this isn't you..."

He looked her in the eye, there was nether fear nor disgust, only concern and care. His own eyes became softer, and lost a bit of their demonic nature.

"**...you're right... I am not him."**

He let go of the weapon, and it fell into the grass. Both sets of runes on his hand stopped glowing, and he immediately lost consciousness. The last thing he felt were two soft and warm arms, holding him tight.

* * *

><p>Old Osman, the principal of the academy stood at the window of his office, beside him stood Jean Colbert. Both of them had watched the whole incident.<p>

"Old Osman, are you sure it was a good idea to let them fight? Someone could have been seriously Injured, maybe even killed."

"Don't worry Jean. I could've stopped them immediately, should they really have tried to kill each other. And I have already sent someone to take care of the Grammont boy."

The old, black robed man took a pull on his pipe, and exhaled the smoke shortly after.

"Besides, this was a good opportunity to find out more about those peculiar familiar runes you told me about. After witnessing all of this, what are your conclusions?" The elder asked.

"Well, most of my theories have been confirmed. The runes on the back of his hand are definitely the ones we suspected them to be."

"So it is true, the legendary familiar Gandalfr has returned." Osman stated gravely.

"I guess that would explain why the Vallière girl has so much trouble acquiring regular magical skills. She has to be a Void mage!"

Jean was troubled about that theory for a reason. Void was the fifth and lost element of the magical pentagram, and the void mages had only existed in the tales and legends of times far in the past. Not all things that were associated with void mages in general were good things, and a void mage appearing in the present Could not be a coincidence.

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions, but there is a high probability of that. Have you learned anything about the second set of runes, on the boys hand?"

"Yes. It was difficult, but I managed to decipher most of them. It seems to be what I would describe as a 'seal of magical alteration'. I suspect it will grant him to an ability to indirectly use magic to interact with the physical world in some way, though he still won't be able to use magic directly in spells. But all of this is just a side-effect, the main purpose still remains a mystery. And the strange seven pointed star makes no sense to me at all."

"Hmm... very intriguing. I feel it is of great importance to do further research on this matter. Your help is much appreciated, professor."

The principal took another pull in his pipe.

"I'm glad to be of help and frankly, it interests me greatly as we-"

*BONK* "OW! *cough* Owowow..."

A book had come flying across the room, hitting the smoking elder in the back of the head, and making him drop his pipe. It was miss Loungeville, the new secretary. She had just entered the room and caught the old man smoking again, you already know her reaction.

"Old Osman! How many times today have I told you not to smoke that pipe?"

"Seventeen times precisely my dear, and it's becoming rather annoying. You should do something about that habit, it can't be healthy in the long run." Osman said quizzically as he picked up his pipe.

"Why you..." Now she was getting flushed with anger

"There you go again, getting al riled up about a joke. No wonder you haven't been able to get married yet!"

"DAMN YOU OLD GEEZER, YOU SAID IT AGAIN!"

Miss Loungeville grabbed the old man by his ear and dragged him out of the room and down the hall.

"No, miss Loungeville, please, not the 'special torture' again! I wont say it again..." He pleaded as he was dragged into a storage room.

Jean had secretly followed them down the corridor. He heard screams of agony and other various disturbing sounds coming from behind the closed door. Almost too afraid to enter, he went to the door, opened it just a bit, and peeked his head in.

"Osman... you dead?"

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading!<p>

See you next time, and feel free to review!

**PS:** the one who can guess what the 'special torture' is receives an imaginary plate of cookies!


	5. AN: Temporary death

**DEAR READERS**

Sorry for the delay, I have temporarily died.

This official notice from 'the other side' will be replaced with the actual chapter,

as soon as my assistant finds the revive spell.

There is no need to review on this notice, thank you for your patience.

_Hat'n'cloak_

PS: Im not really dead, sh*t's just going down in my life, so please bear with me.


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